"Do it yourself" is often the mantra repeated over and over again to small business owners, especially when lack of time and resources come into play. At times, taking on more responsibilities seems like the only solution. More often than not, business owners choose a DIY approach or they may ignore their branding and digital marketing altogether.​

So how do you determine when your digital marketing should be done in-house or outsourced? Here are four of the most common signs that it's time to outsource some of the heavy lifting and get on with running your business:

1. You become the Marketing Department.You already have a job and you do it well: running your business. When you choose to handle marketing your business on your own, it's easy to get overwhelmed and can sometimes cause you to neglect other important operational tasks crucial to the day-to-day operation. Wearing several hats isn't necessarily a bad thing, but when you've become both the business owner and the Marketing Department and it's taking you away from running your business, it may be time to think about outsourcing a few tasks such as your social media management or email marketing.

2. Your efforts just aren't working.Sometimes it may not be that your efforts aren't working, it's that you may not know how to properly measure results. If your digital marketing strategies aren't working or you aren't sure how to measure the success of your efforts, you should consider outsourcing it. Even if you feel like you're doing all the right things by consistently sharing, blogging, and emailing, your digital marketing might not be working. Outsourcing these tasks can help you develop a strategy and better understand how to gauge success.

3. There's just not enough time in the day.Many entrepreneurs are interested in starting a small business so they can have more flexibility and time, not less. While this usually doesn't start out as a reality, it also doesn't mean you should keep piling on the responsibilities. Business owners who choose to take on too much can end up working themselves to death and burn out quickly. Between trying to manage the day-to-day operations and grow your business, you may not have the time and energy to properly manage your digital marketing. If find yourself working longer hours than you originally anticipated as a result of taking on too much, consider outsourcing some of your business's marketing. Then, give yourself a well-deserved break!

4. You feel like you're out of good ideas.One of the most common complaints about digital marketing is that it's a struggle to constantly keep coming up with new ideas. For the first few months, you may have a streak of inspiration, but then you hit a brick wall. It takes you hours to come up with one idea, let alone go through the process of bringing your idea to fruition. Your customers will be the first to notice a stale website or lack of exciting new content on your social media pages, and this can quickly become a problem. If you're faced with a creative block, consider outsourcing these tasks to alleviate stress as well as bringing a new perspective to the table.

It's common for business owners to feel pressure to do everything themselves, but this pressure could end up sabotaging your digital marketing strategy. Don't feel badly about looking for help by outsourcing some of these things! It's all about working smarter, not harder. Doing everything yourself doesn't guarantee it will be done right and it doesn't make you a better business owner. Outsourcing allows you to free up your schedule and focus on running your business more efficiently. If any of the scenarios above sound like your small business, then you should seriously consider outsourcing.

Feel free to send us a note with any questions you may have, we're always here to help you grow your business... even if it doesn't mean purchasing our services. Our desire is to give you the tools you need to succeed!